


Punk Rock Princess

by SparkSparta



Category: Homestuck, MS Paint Adventures
Genre: Beforus, Beforus Ancestors, Childhood Friends, F/F, First Love, Friendship, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance, Pale-Red Vacillation, Pre-Sburb/Sgrub
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-24
Updated: 2014-12-24
Packaged: 2018-03-03 06:39:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2841659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SparkSparta/pseuds/SparkSparta
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Meenah's finally had enough of being forced to be a slave over lowbloods. So finally able to break free from Her Imperial Radiance, she takes shelter in a library in a midblood city. That's where she meets a peculiar blue spider troll and it all sparks up a friendship over one silly song.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Punk Rock Princess

**Author's Note:**

> Basically my take on how Meenah ran off from the palace and befriended Aranea before running off to the moon. Punk Rock Princess is basically my theme song for them.

She doesn't know how long she's been watching her, but all she knows is that the blue blooded librarian hasn't left her sight for more than five minutes. Meenah doesn't even know why she's even watching this troll.

The cerulean blood wasn't one that stood out of the crowd unless you counted her outdated glasses frames. Horns shaped like a stinger and pincer of a scorpion, sleek black windswept hair that went down to her shoulders, blue eyeshadow and lipstick, white cat-eyed frames, a blue dress that had a spidery theme on the hem, a black waist belt, long white socks and red flats with small heels on the back. She was just like any other troll you'd see of Beforus.

And yet, Meenah found that she couldn't take her eyes off her.

Of course, after watching someone for so long, one would know the sudden feeling of being watched. And whenever she'd turn around to find out who was staring at her, Meenah would be gone. Gone like a bat out of troll hell. Or a fish out of water.

Wait, no. Either way, she was gone before the lower caste could even lay her eyes on her. Bookshelves had other uses than just for books, you know.

Meenah wondered what her eyes were like. Perhaps they were still a plain old gray, reflecting on her youth. Or maybe they were just starting to get the tint of blue that consistently ran through her veins. Regardless, Meenah wanted to see them. She wanted to talk to her; break the ice. Flirt, talk, do something! What was the troll like? What did she do? Who was she? What did she want to do with her life?

But whenever she thought of approaching her, a weird feeling swelled up inside her gut. Her throat, despite its consistent moistness, suddenly felt dry. Her fingers would tingle, butterflies would rush through her stomach, and her knees would suddenly turn into jelly. It was maddening, but addicting. The feeling of a troll who had become flushed at first sight. It was like a fierce punch in the gut that someone in love needed, no, _wanted_ , to feel over and over again.

The seadweller let out an agitated groan and slid down to the floor against the wooden shelf. _'Scrod clammit it all! This is all your fault!'_ And by 'your', the young heiress meant Her Imperial Radiance, the only troll of Meenah's caste alive beside herself. In fact, she was the reason why Meenah was here in the first place.

**A few hours in the past...**

"Meenah Peixes!"

A loud groan that was the equivalent of a violin being torn apart by a rabid hop beast was met to the Empress' voice. Her Imperial Radiance entered into Meenah's private quarters, her delicate fuchsia eyes narrowed in a glare as she watched her descendant tangle herself up inside her recuperacoon's slime.

"Da fuck do ya want?"

"Meenah, what did I say about using that kind of language?"

"How many times have I told'ja that I don't give two flyin' flippin' shits of a moo beast's big fat ass?"

"Meenah!"

Another savage sounding groan. A loud slosh filled the air, and then the younger seadweller sat up, her slime-covered hair sticking out in all directions. "What?"

"I have something that I'd like to talk to you about."

"Oh fan-fucking-tastic. Just how I like ta start my night." Meenah snarled as she began baring the worst of her shark-like rows of teeth, glaring daggers at the Empress. Nevertheless, Her Imperial Radiance approached Meenah's recuperacoon and ran a hand through her frizzy hair. A growl met her finned eardrums, but she wasn't effected in the slightest. Her predatory attempts to scare her just wouldn't work on her. "Meenah, I'd like to talk to you about your stance as an heir for me."

"I ain't gon' be no heiress."

"And yet, you haven't ran away yet."

Another growl, but it was much shorter than the others. A smile spread across the Empress' face. "My little darling, we need to work on your knowledge of our government. The senator said you didn't do too well on the tests."

"Yeah, 'cause they're full of shit."

"If you don't understand how our government works, how do you expect to take my place?"

"I told'ja, I ain't gonna be heiress!"

In a millisecond, Meenah had slipped out of her pod, baring her teeth at the Empress. "I'm not gonna spend my whole life serving lowbloods and what they want! The way I sea it, the government's gonna glubbin' change when I'm in charge! I'll save the stronger trolls and we'll krill the weak! We'll use 'em for our food and other shit we wear and use on a daily basis! And then, everyone will serve me! I ain't gonna serve anymoby! And you're too fuckin' far up yer ass to sea that I ain't gonna be anyfin like you!"

"Good heavens!" The Empress cried, her eyes wide as saucers. Her hand was on her chest, as if Meenah's words actually did do any sort of damage to her physical form. And Meenah knew for a fact that her words, as harsh as they were (and she knew she could go ever farther), didn't effect the Empress' stress levels. If she had any. Which she didn't. Unfortunately.

Her Imperial Radiance suddenly stood up, her face twisted with anger as the two seadwellers locked eyes, refusing to look away. "Meenah Peixes, until you learn to not only talk like an empress, but to think like an empress, I refuse to let you leave this castle!"

"Ya can't do that!"

"Yes I can. I'm the empress, and until you bear this crown, you have no choice but to listen to me."

Oh shell no. _Oh. shell. no_.

That did it. Meenah let out a roar of anger, kicking against her room's door with her foot, creating a hole. The Empress expected that. What she didn't expect was a second kick at the door nob, breaking it and Meenah crashing through without even a second thought. Nearby maids and butlers froze in fear as planks of wood scattered around the hallway, followed by the enraged heiress as she ran down the hallway as fast as she could. They all instantly started getting out of her way because they knew if they fucked with her, there would be blood spilled.

However, Her Imperial Radiance simply walked out of the room in a calm and collected manner, watching as Meenah charged down the hallway like a bull attracted to red. Meenah continued down the hallway, and even though the Empress could predict most of Meenah's actions, there were a few times where her heiress would completely catch her off guard.

This was one of those moments.

Instead of running up the stairs like she expected, Meenah completely blew off the stairs, heading straight towards the oversized window that lead to the open ocean outside. The Empress' heart stopped.

"Stop her! Don't let her escape!"

It was too late though. The only two trolls that were closest to Meenah had fled away from her path. The guard that was near the stairs had jumped in front of the window, but Meenah was one step ahead of him. The violet seadweller pulled out a golden trident from his waist and charged towards Meenah with the end facing towards her. Meenah expected that. The guards would never hurt her on intention; she was too precious to the empire.

Which was exactly why she was doing this.

"Fuck da throne!" Meenah jumped out of harms way just in time. She leaped over the guard, grabbing the trident with one hand and the collar on the other. In one single swing, she pulled the guard off his feet and threw him towards the window as he yelped. "Fuck this stupid job!"

The guard's body crashed through the window with ease. Seadweller strength was not to be fucked with. Shards of glass flew everywhere but Meenah did not care in the slightest. "And fuck you all!" She raced through the hallway and leaped out of the castle, getting a good twenty to thirty feet before nose diving down in the dark sea, swimming towards freedom. She was sure that the empress was scurrying to get her guards rounded up, but couldn't care any less. Nobody was going to tell her what to do anymore.

Fuck the throne and fuck everything with it.

**About an hour before the present...**

She doesn't know how long she swam, but she was sure she got a pretty damn good amount of distance between her and castle because she couldn't spot a single seadweller guard at all. But that didn't mean the threat had vanished. If she was going to finally live the life she wanted, she was going to have to completely disappear. But the sun was rising so she needed to find some shelter before she could go anywhere. Even though the ocean was dark, it didn't do enough to shelter her from the blazing heat. Plus, she would more than likely be found if she slept. Her Imperial Radiance was fucking stubborn when it came to her.

Meenah broke the surface, breathing in to get her lungs working again. The area didn't look familiar, however. The hives were in closer, taller structures (not as tall as the castle but taller than most highblood houses) and the windows were tainted slightly warmer colors. A midblood area. This was alright. Most didn't know what she looked like so she could probably walk around without getting too much attention. There was a library not too far away, so Meenah figured that she could sneak in and settle down until dusk.

The young seadweller stepped onto the beach, kicking her shoes and wringing out her braids to reduce the amount of weight. She was about to start walking when she felt her crown on her forehead. _'Shit! Nearly forgot aboat it!'_ Even if highbloods like herself were rarely seen or paid attention to, it wouldn't take a fucking genius to figure out who she was.

In one swift movement, Meenah tore the golden crown off her forehead and tossed it over her shoulder. The golden headset flew a good thirty feet in the air before splashing down in the ocean, finally lost to the sea and relieving her of the burden she wanted to dispose of since her second wriggling day.

**Now in the present...**

Meenah was still staring at the blue blood. She was even prettier in motion. The troll was wandering up and down the isles with unflinching concentration, balancing the nearly overflowing pile of books in her arms. The blue troll was all alone; everyone else was either leaving to head home or moving to different parts of the library.

_'Damn,'_ Meenah thought, her brows furrowing. She really wanted to talk to her. Everyone else was leaving, and that made it the perfect chance for her to talk to her face-to-face, but what would she say? 'S'up? My name's Meenah and I'm the heiress to the throne but I ran away because the Empress is a fucking bitch unlike what she puts up in public and I totally did not just sneak in here to hide from her or the guards. Oh, I've been pretty much stalking you ever since I got here.'

The young ruler slapped her forehead, groaning at her own internal conversation and sunk to the floor. _'Cod. Damn it.'_ Why was it so hard to talk a cute little blue troll like the librarian over there? Meenah figured she should just hideout here and leave in the morning. She seemed too occupied to even walk over anyway. Meenah sighed and flopped onto her side, now a pile of braids and dark denim and gold bracelets.

_'This blows holes.'_

The seadweller closed her eyes, breathing out a heavy sigh as her nostrils took in the scent of the carpeted floor. It had a faint scent of the different castes, but overall, it just smelled like muddy sneakers and it wasn't pleasant in the slightest. Meenah huffed and sat up, rubbing her nose to diffuse of the odd smell. Shit like that would never fly inside of the castle. In fact, the young ruler had a slight sense of sadness that temporarily overwhelmed her. The royal blood inside of her was screaming of her to return to her palace. Where she was surrounded by everything familiar and all her gold.

But no amount of gold could ever make her go back to _her_. Her Imperial Radiance. Meenah knew far too well that the Empress put on a face for her subjects and public speeches, but inside closed quarters, the bitch inside of her came out. And all of it would have been taken out on the young ruler.

_'Fuck that shit!'_ Meenah thought bitterly and growled. She knew far too well that she was more than capable of handling herself, and getting more gold than the Empress could ever dream of getting.

Unbeknownst to her, she growled far louder than she accounted for because a pair of soft footsteps was apparently headed in her direction. Oh shell no. She was in a really bad mood and the last thing she needed was to be found by some...lowblood!

The footsteps got closer, and Meenah waited for it. With her eyes narrowed dangerously, ear fins flared out to their physical limits, and squeezing her hands into tight fists, Meenah waited. Closer now. Just a little closer, and she'll scare them off so bad, they'll faint from a blood pusher attack because their immune systems were pure shit. Her shark-like teeth shone brightly in a wide grin spread across her face at the thought.

A shadow peaked through the bookshelves. There. In a flash, Meenah sprung to her feet and hissed as loudly as she could, ear fins and gills lashing out to their limits.

"OH GOOD HEAVENS!" The isle floor was suddenly covered in a multitude of books of all sizes as the cerulean librarian fell, backpedaling towards against the wall, eyes wide with fear. "I-I just came over here to see what was going on because I heard some patrons complain about a loud noise coming from this isle and I just figured a book dropped-!"

Aaaaaack fuck. It would be the fucking cerulean troll, wouldn't it? Cod damn it all, Meenah might as well just move to the coldest areas on the fucking planet and freeze to death because of all things to go wrong today, this was possibly the one thing that she _didn't_ want to screw up and this wasn't fucking fair and is she still babbling?

"I hope I didn't offend you in any way! I just wanted to come over and see what was wrong and I-!"

"Relax, girl..." Meenah muttered as she placed her hands against her neck, already feeling the blush creep up to her face. "I'm not gonna eat ya."

The blue troll blinked once. Twice. Thrice before clearing her throat and adjusting the frames on her nose. "W-well...I certainly hope not." A hand appeared in her line of sight. She looked up at Meenah, taking in the odd expression on the seadweller's face. It was a strange mix of embarrassment, frustration and...infatuation? The blue troll mentally shook her head at the last one. _'Infatuation? Aranea, don't delude yourself.'_

Nevertheless, the librarian took Meenah's offering and was easily hauled up to her feet. A little too easily. The young ruler used too much strength when pulling her up because she tumbled forward, straight into Meenah's arms. The two girls felt their eyes widen at the sudden rush of contact. Hand on shoulders, pelvises close, and legs twisted and tangled to the point where standing up felt like a challenge.

The young librarian blushes the deepest shade of her caste possible and Meenah feels a rush of her ego flood back despite herself. Her knees felt like they were going to collapse in on themselves. Her hands were tingling and her stomach was filled with butterflies because this girl's weight was so oddly fitting against her body, it was almost scary.

"So," Meenah begins with a cocky smirk, leering into the other troll's eyes. "We gonna get outta this weird pofishion or are ya likin' the feelin' of my crotch against yours?"

Almost instantly, the cerulean troll had the most offended look on her, and then actually slapped Meenah across the face. For a split second, the young ruler was stunned before baring her fangs with her face twisted with rage.

"Yo, what the fuck?!" She roared, shoving the blue troll away. The lower caste stumbled a little, but regained her composure faster than Meenah expected. Then, to her surprise, the librarian simply knelt down and began to pick up the books in a calm, orderly fashion.

"No shouting in the library," the other troll said with a huff. "I appreciate your offer of helping me up, but to use that sort of language in a public area such as this only proves to me that you're just another-"

"I was glubbin' joking!"

"Regardless! It's still something that isn't to be taken lightly!"

The two trolls shot daggers at each other, feet firmly planted on the ground, unwilling to let the other get the upper hand. Looking into her eyes for the first time, Meenah saw a multitude of other pupils surrounding her main iris in her left eye. She was glaring so narrowly, Meenah could only spot three of the smaller pupils around her eye. It was intriguing and annoying at the same time. But remembering the real reason why she was even there to begin with, the seadweller shook her head and lifted up her hands in surrender.

"Fine." Meenah loosened up her posture, still looking at the blue blood in the eyes. "I didn't mean ta offend ya. I just wanted ta...break the ice."

"Break the ice?"

Fuck. Wrong choice of words. Meenah feels her neck start to flush, but she instantly fights it down. She was clearly surprised at that, which kind of surprised Meenah as well. What? Was she not used to being hit on? Or at the very least, flirting? That was kind of endearing.

"Oh shell yeah," Meenah said, grinning her shark-tooth smile as she feels the rush of her ego flood back into her all at once. "I got a probubblem to be lochness with ya."

The librarian blinks, her eyes and body language seemingly to loosen up a little, but just a little. Now she just seemed nervous. However, the rest of her pupils slowly become visible, and that was probably the young ruler's cue to keep going on. She lowers her fuchsia frames, still grinning. "You're really hot, ya know. What kind of fish like yershelf is doin' in this borin' old place anywaves?"

Now that takes her by surprise. Her eyes grow exceedingly wide and her lips part slightly as a bright blue blush spreads straight across her face. Meenah's grin grows a little bit. Apparently she wasn't used to being hit on! _'Oh, she's probably swimmin' so hard now!'_

But to her total shock, a sly little smile creeps up the cerulean troll's face as her eyelids drop down, and the alluring vibe had completely turned around. "Why would you want to know? Were you the one who was watching me work?"

Oh fuck.

The librarian's smile only grows, and then she starts giggling. It was like an arrow through the heart. _'She's glubbin' adorabubble!'_ Meenah stares at the blue troll, watching her laughing into her hand. _'My cod, I knew she was different, but holy shit!'_

"Well," the blue troll begins, finally able to look at Meenah in the eyes with confidence again. "If you're so interested in me, how about we start with names?"

That was a start. She holds out her hand towards Meenah. Her palms and fingers were thin and delicate, nails were painted the same color as her blood and gorgeously shaped. "My name is Aranea Serket."

"..." Meenah stared at the hand in front of her, then at the troll in front of her, giving her a slow over. She seemed too prep and prime to even be considered dangerous. But with the time Meenah invested watching her wander around, it was clear she could fight if she was pushed too far. The extra pupils were something to behold too. She probably had some sort of psychic ability that was passed down from her ancestors.

Now that was interesting.

Grinning her shark-tooth smile, the seadweller grasped Aranea's hand (making sure to use less force this time). "Name's Meenah."

**About two hours into the future...**

Turns out, Meenah scaring the shit out of her was only a small sample of how much Aranea could talk. She droned on and on about each and every topic, and to be honest, it was a little boring. But just a little. Meenah found herself immersed in how she spoke. Her voice was nice to listen to, especially when she went on about a certain topic and got excited. Her smile and eyes would always brighten up and her body language loosened up considerably.

All and all, she was even cuter than Meenah expected her to be.

In the beginning of the (slightly one-sided) conversation, Meenah had a rather reserved kind of body language. Hands shoved in pockets, body turned in every direction besides facing Aranea, knees up to chest, you name it. But over time and as Aranea spoke more openly, Meenah began to open up and was now completely facing the other troll.

"So what yer sayin' is that yer a total nerd."

Aranea giggled, adjusting the white frames on her nose. "In a way. I mean, considering that I love reading, this would be an ideal job for me."

"I'll say." Meenah smirked, raising a brow. "Ya shore do talk a lot, Serks. 'Specially fer someone who reads most of the time."

"Oh, um..." Aranea's hand trails up, immediately fidgeting with her hair. Her eyes travel downward and Meenah momentarily thinks she struck a nerve. "Yes, I do...I mean, I can be quiet, but I just prefer speaking my mind about certain topics..."

"Don't be sorry."

"Huh?"

"Don't think it's wrong to talk too much," Meenah said as she plopped into a chair. She turned it around and rested her arms against the top rail. "That's who ya are, right?"

"Well...I suppose so."

"Then that's all that matters. 'Sides, I don't mind lisfinenin' to ya ramble. Ya got a nice voice."

"Oh." Aranea's eyes grow wide behind her glasses, a soft blue hue spreading across her cheeks. "Do you...really mean that?"

"Shell yeah I do." She shrugs nonchalantly, grinning as if she said it everyday. "It's obvious that yer way ahead of the game with trolls your age. And that ain't a bad thing. Who the fuck cares aboat what other trolls think? As long as you love yourshelf and are proud of yourshelf, thassall that matters."

Aranea just stares at her, eyes widening out to their limits. But something in the atmosphere had changed, as if Meenah had opened a door to new possibilities for the girl. A decision that she couldn't have come to by herself.

And then, slowly, but surely, a smile spread across her face. It felt different than her previous ones. It held the same excitement from before, but it seemed much more relaxed. It was if the fear of Meenah snapping at her from rambling on too much had dispatched into the air and faded away forever.

"Well, enough about me!" Aranea says, eagerly leaning over the table, her eyes glimmering with excitement. "I've been wondering who you are and what you plan to do! What are your hobbies, Meenah? What do you like to do? What do you plan on doing with your life?"

Aaaack crap. What the hell was she supposed to tell her? That she ran off from her palace in a fit of rage because the Empress was a fucking bitch and half? Or that her main hobbies were just lying around in the palace pools and poking at cuttlefish or stabbing the congressmen with her fake trident until they popped a vessel?

Aranea didn't seem to notice Meenah's lack of motivation, but what the young ruler did notice was that the sun was nearly over the peaks over the mountains. It was well past closing and the library suddenly felt eerily quiet and empty.

"Whale, I would tell ya, but don't'cha think that it'd be a good idea to close this place first?"

The cerulean troll gasps, clearly surprised at how late it had gotten. Time really did fly when one was having fun. But she didn't even focus on closing the library just yet.

"Meenah, would you like to continue this conversation at my hive?"

"Whut?" Meenah asked incredulously. Aranea grinned, her small set of fangs gleaming in the low sunlight. "I mean, would you like to sleepover?"

Now that genuinely shocked her. Here they were, merely hours into a conversation, and Aranea was already inviting her to sleeping over in her hive. Meenah couldn't say she immediately rejected the idea. It was a much bigger advantage to be sleeping in an actual recuperacoon than on the floor of a dusty old library. But still.

"Ya shore yer okray with that? Conchsidering we just met and all?"

"It is true that we just met, but there's something about you that's different, Meenah." Aranea stares at her, her once sparkling eyes dying down to curiosity. One that peaks Meenah's own interests. "You're not like any other trolls that I've seen."

"Whale, obubbliously I'm a fuckin' seadweller, Serket."

"Yes, obviously," she muttered sarcastically with a gracious eye roll.

"What aboat your lusus?"

"My lusus usually spends most of her time sleeping in her den. She won't bother us much." Aranea leans over on the table, peering directly into Meenah's eyes. "But I mean it in a psychological way. You're the only one who has ever complimented me regarding my tendency to talk too much."

"Whale, you can be long winded as shell, and yeah, that can get glubbin' annoying, but that don't mean ya deserve ta be treated like shit. That's just who you are."

"Exactly. Which is why I'm inviting you over."A genuine smile spreads across Aranea's face. "You're different, Meenah."

The two girls stared at each other, time seemingly to come to a halt. They didn't know it yet, but the hands of fate and time have started ticking in motion, and their newly blossoming friendship would not only affect themselves, but their entire world.

A grin appeared on Meenah's face as the seadweller stood up, leering directly into Aranea's gaze. "What the shell are we waiting for?"

**Moments before dawn...**

Sticking to the shadows (as suggested by Meenah), the two girls got to Aranea's hive just before the sun had completely gotten above the other hives. The interior wasn't much different from the library. It was stacked with multiple shelves, filled with books of every kind of size and genre that trolls had ever created. A staircase led both upstairs to Aranea's room, and downstairs to where Spidermom slept.

Meenah shoved her hands in her pockets, already feeling like she was going fall asleep from pure boredom if nothing interesting happened within the next five minutes. "So, ya got an extra pod or some shit?"

"Actually, I do." Aranea said as they started walking up the stairs. "My recuperacoon's not big enough for the both of us, but if you'd like, you could sleep in it and I'll sleep on my couch or something."

"Shit, Serket, I'll sleep just aboat anywhere after the shit I've been through today."

"Oh?"

Meenah froze for a split second. She forgot she never told Aranea _why_ she was in the library for as long as she was. It was obvious someone who looked and dressed like she did wouldn't spend at least an hour in that dusty old place. The seadweller avoided looking into her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest, trying to think quickly.

"Yeah. Listenin' to ya ramble fer as long as ya did can be glubbin' tiring."

"But you said you liked hearing me talk."

"Yeah, talk. Not ramble endlessly over useless shit."

"I'll have you know that leprechaun romance is much more complicated and precise than most trolls give it credit for!" The spider troll cried, turning to face Meenah with her hands on her hips. A grin spread straight across the seadweller's face because she suddenly remembered why Aranea caught her eye in the first place. She looked hot when was mad. Really hot.

"Big whoops, Serks, it's glubbin' sex. We use quadrants, they use...whatebber-the-fuck it is and they make grubs three days later. Whatevs."

"It's not just about having sex! Leprechauns use rituals to establish relationships and they aren't called quadrants. Leprechauns use charms and there's nine of them compared to our four..."

Well that backfired a little bit. Good news: Aranea got off the subject why Meenah never explained herself. Bad news: Tangents about leprechaun sex was the most boring shit ever. Right next to watching paint dry.

Quick fingers pressed themselves to the blue-tinted lips. "Fucking shell, that shore was a bad idea of bringing that up. Listen Serks, save the sex shit fer some other time, okay? It's late and I'm pretty damn tired and standing on this staircase ain't makin' me feel anymore rested."

Her statement was met with a dark glare. While Aranea knew that the reproduction of alien species was kind of boring (and not mention lewd) with other trolls, she couldn't help but find an interest in it. But since Meenah was her guest, Aranea decided it was just best to save that conversation for another time.

"Very well."

Meenah gave off a silent sigh of relief while Aranea had turned around and began walking back up the stairs again. She hoped to the highest of all deities that the subject of leprechaun romance would never be brought up again for as long as she lived.

Aranea's room wasn't much different from the rest of her hive. There was a window on the wall across from the a door, a recuperacoon in the corner of said wall, a smaller bookshelf with a multitude of books right beside a desk with a lamp, a radio, and a husktop. Overall, it was extremely simplistic and boring compared to her lavish room in the palace.

The spider troll seemed aware of that. "I know this isn't what highbloods like you are used to, but I hope it's enough to suit your tastes for the time being?"

"Yeah, s'okay, Serket." Meenah kicked off her shoes and slouched against the door, already feeling the lack of the sleep beginning to effect her. "A bed's a bed, right?"

"Yes, I suppose so," Aranea said, almost too relieved that Meenah wasn't putting up a fuss. Normally the seadweller would be picky about where or when she wanted to rest, but considering that she was temporarily homeless put her state of mind in the direction of 'fuck this, I just want a God damn roof over my head'.

"So..." The Scorpio began, sitting in her desk chair with her hands on her lap and her back straight. Like a proper young lady, as the Empress would always say. Meenah held back the urge to growl at the imagery in her head. "So, what?"

"Tell about yourself, Meenah." A smile appeared on her face. "You said that you would tell me why you were inside the library for as long as you were."

Shit.

"And not just because you were spying on me either."

Shit!

Meenah wracked her brain to think of something, _anything_ , in order to satisfy Aranea's unwavering sense of curiosity. For someone who talked on about stupid shit or babbled about her personal interests, she was pretty damn nosy. But then, an idea sprang up. Better than telling her the truth because her cover would be blown.

"Whale, if ya must know," Meenah began as she started swaggering over to Aranea, her confidence radiating off her very being. "I actually got lost. I was out with my lusus and all, doin' some shoppin' for gold and shit, and when I turned a corner, she wasn't there anymore."

Meenah stopped on purpose to see how she was taking it. Aranea's expression had an odd mix of wonder and worry. Good. She seemed to be buying it. A small part of Meenah's head told her that she was lying to the only troll who actually seemed to give two shits about her, but she ignored it. They just met today, shit like that's gonna take time.

"I wandered around fer a bit, but when I saw the sun risin' over the systems, I decided to just book it and head into the nearest building I could find." The seadweller shrugged nonchalantly. "And then I saw ya bein' yer cute self and decided to stick around."

"Oh..."

Aranea reached over and gently took Meenah's hand in both her own, running her thumb over her knuckles gently. The seadweller tensed up slightly at the sudden physical contact. "I'm sorry to hear that...I hope you and your lusus find each other soon..."

The fuchsia troll stared at her for a few seconds, appalled that actually seemed to care. No, she didn't seem to care. She _did_ care. After what happened in the library and her invitation to let Meenah stay in her hive, when she knew that it possibly wouldn't suit Meenah's regal tastes, it was obvious that Meenah meant a great deal to her.

Perhaps she found her first true friend.

"Hey, Serks, no need ta get so mushy on me," Meenah muttered under her breath, trying to ignore the flaming heat in her face. "My lusus was a glubbin' beach. She only cared aboat hershelf. Ta be honest, I feel betta chillin' out with'chu than with her."

"Really?"

Meenah nodded, watching Aranea's eyes light up with delight. Oh hell was she cute. Cute enough to tie a bow around her and drag her down to the palace and say "I'm keeping her", but there was no way that would happen. Not in a million years. Meenah knew all too well that she could get Aranea in her arms without the use of her idiot lusus figure.

Slowly, the seadweller slipped out of Aranea's gentle grip and headed towards the radio, trying to figure out how to turn it on. "But damn, gabby gills, ya only got this fer entertainment?"

"Yes, well," The Scorpio coughed delicately into her hand, obviously self conscience about her dull interior. "Considering that I spend most of my time reading, I don't really have the use for televisions or hand held devices. Besides, reading helps exercise the mind and help stretch out one's imagination-"

"Wait, are ya tellin' me ya don't even have a phone? Just a husktop?"

Aranea blinked, surprised that Meenah actually turned away from what she was doing to look back at her. But regardless, the lower caste nodded. "Yes, I don't really have the need to use anything besides my husktop when I'm planning to keep in touch with anyone."

The seadweller rolled her eyes. Man, this girl is such a nerd. Spends the majority of her time reading either in the library, or her hive, and if she wasn't reading, she had to tend to the needs of her lusus. It sounded like a plain and boring life; something Meenah could relate to on a personal level. Life in the palace wasn't very fulfilling until she ran off. "Does it get lonely?"

"Huh?"

"Being surrounded by books and shit," Meenah asked, her eyes unusually soft. "Nofin but yershelf and yer thoughts. Don't ya want to live a little or do your own thing?"

That seems to strike a nerve. The spider troll begins fidgeting with her hair again, a soft hue of blue spreading across her cheeks. "Actually...In the majority of the stories that I read, they're mostly about pirates and how they travel around the planet. Constantly seeing new sights, smelling new scents, tasting new things, it all sounds so...so wonderful..."

Aranea sighed, "it's a terrible thing...To live a life full of jealousy and envy, I mean. I always wonder that if I ever go out and try to make my own adventure, it would backfire in the worst possible way and have a probable ending of my efforts not mattering at all..."

Meenah's heart felt heavy. Now she really felt that on a personal level. Even when she was with her ancestor, the guards and the subjects always complimented Her Imperial Radiance because of her kind, compassionate, and caring nature. Her? She was brash, rude, and fiery. Something that terrified the other trolls and constantly worried the staff of the palace. Meenah would never admit it, but she kind of envied how easily it was for the Empress to win the affections of everyone she met. If it were up to Meenah herself. she would be ruled in a much more sinister and warmongering fashion.

"Oh dear, I do ramble, don't I?" Aranea sheepishly twirled the sapphire studded earrings around in tiny circles. "Listen to me. Going on about envy to someone I just met. Must be strange for someone like yourself, yes?"

"Nah, not really." Meenah slouched over, almost creating eye contact despite the height difference. "Like said, my lusus was a beach. She only cared aboat hershelf and what others thought of her. Me? If peeps are gonna like me, they're gonna like me for me. But it was still kinda frustratin' overall. Shit ain't easy when everymoby likes your lusus more than someone who was gonna try and be somefin else when she reached fuckin' adulthood."

Aranea stared at Meenah with wide eyes, filled to the brim with disbelief. "How odd..." She says with a growing smile. "To think we're polar opposites that share so much in common. It was if we were destined to meet."

"Whale, I kinda figured you'd undersand what I'd be thinkin' bein' a mind reader and all." Meenah says, standing up straight again. Aranea blinked, eyes still wide. "I can't read minds."

"What?"

"I'm not gifted with telepathy. It's true I have a psychic ability, but it's not as advanced as reading minds."

Meenah's browed furrowed. "But what aboat all that shit that happened in the library? How did ya know I was starin' at ya and shit?"

"Easy." Aranea stood up and pointed to her chest. "I can feel emotions."

"Say whut?"

"I'm an empath. And a mind controller if you count the manipulation," she says, pointing to her forehead to emphasize her point. "I have the ability to manipulate trolls who are either higher than my caste, or that have a very weak will, but considering that something like that isn't for the advancement of our society, the higher castes encourage that I focus on my empathetic abilities."

"So ya can sense what I'm feeling now?"

"Crystal clear."

A smile worked up to Meenah's face. The young ruler crossed her arms, leering right into Aranea's eyes. "Damn. And here I thought you'd been tampering inside my head all this time, Serks."

Aranea giggled, fidgeting with her hair again. "If only. If I did have that ability, I probably wouldn't have been so reluctant to approach you."

"Whazzat supposed ta mean?"

"I mean that even though I could sense your attraction to me, I just..." The Scorpio looked down at her feet, twiddling her thumbs shyly. "I considered that I would somehow screw up approaching you because you're one of the more...attractive trolls I've seen in a while."

She instantly turns bright blue after saying that and Meenah could feel the biggest rush of her ego flood back into her. Well, wasn't that convenient? The seadweller took a step forward, intending to make a move on her. But her hand had hit something, and a loud static shock erupted in the room, causing both girls to jump a bit.

"And now we're back to our one hundred and ten minutes of commercial-free music on 110.3 FM."

Meenah snarled. Damn radio! It would work right after something as awesome as possibly getting a potential matesprit despite her previous attempts at turning it on before.

But all that changed when the steady strumming of a hard rock guitar and drums filled the room. Aranea's ears perked up as a bright smile spread across her face. "Oh my gosh, I love this song!"

"Me too!" Meenah cried brightly, instantly turning up the volume as the singer began to sing the first few vocals. _"Maybe when the room is empty, maybe when the bottle's full. Maybe when the door gets broke down, love can break in."_

The seadweller started to snap her fingers to the beat and Aranea tapped her fingers against the edge of her chair.

_"Maybe when I'm done with thinking. Maybe you can think me whole._ _Maybe when I'm done with endings, this can begin."_

Meenah began moving her fingers to the strumming, playing along with her air guitar. Aranea laughed and got to Meenah's side, signing along to the radio. _"This can begin."_

A grin spread across the young ruler's face as she sang along. _"This can begin!"_ She wrapped an arm around Aranea's shoulders. _"_ _If you could be my punk rock princess, I would be your garage band king!"_

_"You can tell me why you just don't fit in,"_ Aranea wrapped her arm around Meenah, grinning wide enough to show off her fangs. _"And how you're gonna be something!"_

The two pulled away, "strumming" and snapping their fingers to the beat of the music. Aranea ran her fingers through her hair, smiling softly this time. _"Maybe when your hair gets darker. Maybe when your eyes get wide, maybe when the walls are smaller, there will be more space..."_

Meenah huffed and smirked back at the slightly alluring troll in front of her. _"Maybe when I'm not so tired, maybe you could step inside, maybe when I look for things that I can't replace!"_

More strumming.

_"I can't replace."_

_"I can't replace!"_

The two girls jumped in the middle of the room. _"If you could be my punk rock princess, I would be your garage band king!"_

_"You could tell me why you just don't fit in, and how you're gonna be something!"_ Meenah twined an arm around Aranea's shoulders. _"If I could be your first real heartache, I would do it over again!"_ She playfully poked Aranea's nose. _"If you could be my punk rock princess, I would be your heroine."_

Aranea slapped Meenah's hand away, breaking free of her grip. _"I never thought you'd last. I never dream you would. You watch your life go past, you wonder if you should!"_

Holding that note, the two girls jumped back into the middle of the room and started to dance and "strum" to the last few verses of the song.

_"If you should be my punk rock princess, so I could be your garage band king!"_

_"You could tell me why you just don't fit in, and how you're gonna be something!"_

_"If I could be your first real heartache, I would do it over again!"_

_"If you could be my punk rock princess, I would be your heroine!"_

_"Whoa! You know! You only burn my bridges!"_

_"Whoa! You know! You just cant let it sink in!"_

_"You could be my heroine, you could be my heroine!"_

And then the girls collapsed to the floor, winded and giggling. That was stupid. But it was a good stupid. That song wasn't on often, so the fact that Meenah and Aranea both enjoyed the song to the degree where they sang at the top of their lungs and danced around like a bunch of adorable idiots, was enough to convince them that they were fated friends. Possibly even more considering they met based on attraction.

The two trolls stared at each other with smiles on their faces, still breathing heavily. Aranea reached over and grasped Meenah's hand in her own. When she felt the seadweller squeeze back, the tension that was lingering instantly dispatched. "I never thought you'd have so much in common with me."

"Shit, it took me by surprise too, Serks," Meenah said with a shark-like grin on her face. "But yanno, I don't wanna rush this. It's obvious that we both kinda like each other, but conchsidering that we still don't know too much aboat each other yet, I kinda feel like we should start kinda pale."

Aranea nodded, relieved that Meenah had felt the same way she did. Not that she had any doubts. "I agree. I think starting off as moirails will help benefit us both. If anything, we should consider ourselves just friends before moving into anything romantic. Or at least, a platonic form of romance"

"Damn right. Kinda feel like I wanna make somefin to it all show off."

Suddenly, Aranea blinked and sat up, her eyes wide and mouth open. "I have an idea!"

"What? Fer what?"

But her question was met with near silence because the Scorpio had gotten up off the floor. Meenah watched with slight curiosity as she opened up her dresser drawer, moving things around and taking stuff out. "Where did I put them...?"

"Uh, Serks...?"

"Found them!"

Meenah spotted what she had in her hand. The fabric looked like yarn, but on closer inspection, it was a simple cloth that was commonly used to make charm bracelets or friendship bracelets.

"I found these in the library's lost and found one day and I decided to take them with me," Aranea explained as she knelt back down beside Meenah. "I was going to wrap them together, but I think that they'll look a lot better if they just stay the way they are."

Meenah studied the two pieces of loom. They were already threaded into a zigzag-like fashion and one was conveniently tinted cerulean while the other one deemed close to fuchsia. It was scary that the colors were almost dead on, but it only reassured her that meeting this blue troll wasn't a coincidence. They were meant to meet and the threads only reinforced that feeling.

"Here." The seadweller took the fuchsia strand and began to tie it around Aranea's left wrist. When she was finished, she took the remaining blue thread and tied it to her own left ankle. "There. Now we got a piece of each other with us. So in case we do go separated, peeps will know."

"And that this is the start of a..." Aranea paused, her eyes deep in thought to think of the right choice of words. "Brine friendship?"

"BRINE!" Meenah tackled Aranea, throwing her arms around the Scorpio's neck as she nuzzled against her cheek. "Ya made a fish pun!"

"Of course!" Aranea said, slightly muffled since Meenah had her in a tight grip. But she unable to fight the smile that was scrawling up her face. "That's what fronds do, yes?"

"Shell yeah they do!"

Meenah finally let her go, but one of her arms remained on Aranea's shoulders. She raised her other hand and created half a diamond with her fingers. "So...morayeels?"

Aranea nodded, grinning brightly as she completed the moirail symbol. "Morayeels."


End file.
